Corrupted
by Chaos Is My Game
Summary: When her friend goes missing, a Pichu gets tangled up with something she'd rather not be: Team Rocket. They're wicked, and are twisting young Pokemon in a most awful way.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**Hiya. This is Corrupted, the story I've set my heart to finishing before the summer ends. I should say, before I begin, that this started as a game I roleplayed out with a friend (kind of), but it has been utterly revamped. Also, due to the nature of my psyche and writing style, I cannot write long chapters. The most I've gone up to is 1,500, and that's a rough estimation. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon. Just these ideas and characters... and technically, the main character isn't even mine. XD**

-A Slightly Abnormal Day-

_It was brilliant green. Everything was brilliant green. Even the air seemed green. It was quiet; silent. Every movement blurred the edges of her sight. She couldn't look around, or else it would be too clouded. Water bubbled somewhere. The trickle became a crashing rush. It was too tempting. She turned quickly. Everything misted over._

"Mrr…"

Kim flipped over, reaching up to tug on her ears. She didn't like that dream. It wasn't particularly entertaining, and it was too mysterious. The Pichu rose groggily, the tips of her ears brushing the ceiling. A little dirt crumbled down into her eyes. "Stupid…" The yellow rodent rubbed her face, flattened her ears to the back of her skull, and made her way out of the den. More soil clung to Kim's fur as she dug upwards through the tiny entrance, and she brushed that off when she emerged in the sunlight.

Yawning and stretching with blearily closed eyes, the little Pokemon sank back into the roots of the tree her den was dug out under. "C'mon… Wake up, Kim. Gotta find food today… Gotta eat…" Kim tried to talk herself into having some energy, but it just wasn't working… and it was so peaceful outside…

So lovely…

"I might… just…" Kim yawned, "…go back to bed…" With the warming sun on her face, the Pichu fell into a doze.

"DON'T SLEEP ON THE JOB, KIM!"

A pale-cream blur shot at the half-asleep Pokemon, knocking her off the root and sending her sprawling into the trees. Kim gave a startled screech, shooting up with sparks flying from her cheeks. She relaxed when she saw who it was, and her terrified glare turned unafraid and half-hearted.

Standing barely a tail's length away from her was a Meowth, grinning slyly and looking thoroughly amused. He was considerably taller than Kim, even though he was on all four legs, and he was definitely a little older. Seeing her leer, however weak it was, seemed to amuse him even more. "What, don't like the wakeup call?" The Meowth sniggered, standing on his hind legs and tossing a forepaw around Kim's shoulder. The Pichu made a face, but didn't jolt him off.

He continued as if she had said yes. "Too bad! Time is money, or food, I guess, and we can't have you sleeping the day away!" Finally, Kim responded.

"Can it, Tanner," She snarled, but the threat was lost in her smile, even as she shifted away from him. Kim stretched again, stubby paws reaching toward the sky, tail brushing the ground even though she stood on her tip toes. Tanner kept on grinning, dropping back down to all four paws.

"We're going to the creek today for berries," Said the Meowth matter-of-factly, his curled tail swishing across the ground as he watched his friend stretch. "I have a good feeling about it." Kim paused for a moment with her arms extended in front of her. When Tanner had a good feeling, it usually meant good berries and sometimes something more.

The last time he'd had a good feeling, they'd ended up with more Pecha berries then they could carry a few of those strange berry-flavored blocks the humans made that made Pokemon feel good. "Alright!" Kim agreed enthusiastically. It wasn't as if she had any choice in the matter, anyway. If she said no, Tanner would go alone and get the all riches for himself.

Which he would not feel even a smidgen guilty about, and then he'd rub it in her nose.

With one last pop of her tired limbs, Kim took a deep breath and fell to all fours. "Race you to the creek!" She howled, and then the little rodent was off. Tanner wasted no time in dashing after her, working his legs to the max. His grin was still in place.

Kim was making quick work of the path to the creek, which wasn't too far from her den. She skirted around the many trees, barely slowing down as the shrubbery whipped her face. All was going well until she tried to jump an old, rotten log. It was three times her size, and instead of jumping over it, she smacked into face first.

Laughing hard and a little bit breathlessly, Tanner used the Pichu as a step and cleanly leapt over the log. Not a second later he splashed into the creek. He came up spluttering, soaked to the bone, and waded to the shore. There he sat, looking more pathetic then a wet Poochyena.

"Who's laughing now, huh?" Kim smirked smugly from the top of the log, which she had scrambled to climb once she'd heard the splash.

The Meowth nearly scowled, but his eyes lit up with an idea. He made a running jump and landed squarely on the log, grinning mischievously. "Still me," He whispered slyly before shaking himself much like that soaked, pathetic Poochyena would. It had the unfortunate effect of making his fur puff up so that he looked like a Quilfish, but it was worth it after he saw the look on Kim's face.

She was shocked, obviously, but with water making her fur cling to her skin, she looked scrawnier than a starved Rattata. Kim was also stupefied, something Tanner didn't see much of anymore. Switching between staring at herself and her fluffy friend, the Pichu took a deep breath and promptly burst into loud giggles.

Soon, Tanner joined in because, whad'ya know? They looked ridiculous!

It was only a minute later, when they'd both washed themselves, that the Pokemon could stop chuckling. Tanner was done much faster, probably because of his feline instincts. He got a real kick out of watching Kim use her tongue to clean herself, while said Pichu was only semi-oblivious.

"Well!" Kim popped up, a slight smile still on her face. "Where does this feeling of yours lead us, Sir Tanner?"

The Meowth opened his mouth slightly and thrust his muzzle into the air. He took a deep breath, scenting the area. It didn't take him long to find what had given him the good feeling. "Right this way, Madame Kim," Tanner's tone was much more mocking as he made a grand sweeping gesture with his tail. Leaping off the log, he pressed his nose in between two berry bushes at its base that had been plucked clean. Kim was about to complain, because, really, what use did two bare shrubs have? Then he dug into the rotten wood to reveal an Oran bush, branches drooping with plenty.

The Pichu shut up after that, opting instead to take some sweet, zingy berries from the ever-grinning Tanner. Stomach growling impressively, Kim bit into the Oran berry and received a shock through her system; a shock she quite enjoyed. The pair gathered more of the sweet fruits at their paws and sat down to eat.

Later, when they were done feasting, the two would stuff as many berries as they could into their cheeks and paws and go their separate ways for the day. For now, though, Tanner tucked into another delicious Oran, as did Kim.

Neither of them mentioned the way his tail twined ever-so-slightly around hers.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**This is one of my shorter chapters. Also, as my sister was so kind to point out to me, one of the parts kind of resembles something from Mystery Dungeon (Yay, vagueness!). That's because I've had it on the mind recently and I did it subconsciously, but this story is by no means a let's-go-to-the-dungeon-and-save-Pokemon story. -.-**

**Japaneserockergirl - Thanks! Yeah, I know what you mean about good fics... And I'll tell you straight up: Tanner isn't Jessie and James' Meowth. I just like the species and cats in general, so that's what he became!**

-Broken Wings-

_Fwump!_

Kim jumped off the tree root in front of her den, staring up at the sky. The sun was already at its highest point, and still Tanner had not made an appearance.

"Where is that Slowpoke?" She grumbled, glancing around for any flash of cream or glittering gold that might indicate a Meowth. When Kim saw none, she gave an irritated sigh. 'He must have gone foraging on his own…'

Although Kim and Tanner rarely went berry hunting without one another, sometimes the latter would smell something good that was too far from the Pichu's den to bother to come get her, or else it would be gone, so he said. Tanner had a nose for rare, valuable items, the lot of which he almost never shared with Kim.

"Hmph!" Sticking her nose high the air, the rodent declared, "Well, if he's gonna be greedy, I'll show him. I'll get the best darned berries around!" She sniffed heavily, point her head this way and that to try and catch a tasty scent. At first there was nothing, but Kim didn't give up. With the hot sun pounding on her back, she took a few slow steps in every direction.

Still, there seemed to be nothing. That is, until Kim caught a faint whiff of something sweet and probably overripe. It came from the direction of the Rocks, a clearing filled with flat stones that quite a few Pokemon liked to sun on. A worried frown crossed Kim's face. If that berry bush was actually _in_ the Rocks, it'd be absolutely fruitless. Everyone went the Rocks on a sweltering, sunny day like this.

Her fear was short-lived, however, as the sweet scented trail soon veered away from the regular path to the stony clearing and deeper into the woods.

It was growing a little dusky by the time Kim reached the bush she'd scented, but oh, it was worth the walk! Dangling from the half-picked plant were Bluk berries, the Pichu's absolute favorite thing to eat. Grinning brightly, she didn't hesitate to dash to the bush and grab some of the soft, luscious treats. Their juice blackened and made sticky her paws, but she gobbled them down as if she were starved.

Kim hadn't eaten all day, so it was excusable.

By the time she'd swallowed ten of them, she realized she was being watched by someone who was giggling softly. A spark flew from her cheeks as Kim stood up. "Wha? Who dere?" She demanded, but with her mouth stuffed and purplish-black juice dirtying her face, coupled with the fact that she was just a Pichu, didn't make her very threatening.

"O-Oh! Sorry…" A Butterfree fluttered out from behind a nearby tree, still smiling, if only slightly. It fell into a frown soon after, and worry clouded her eyes. "M-May I join you?"

Butterfree were generally peaceful Pokemon, so Kim nodded and sat back down, though her ears remained perked. The butterfly Pokemon flew over to the Bluk bush and helped herself to a berry. She sat next to Kim and nibbled on it slowly. An awkward silence filled with munching ensued. The Butterfree grew more and more antsy, her antennae twitching.

"H-Have you seen any Caterpie lately?"

Kim blinked, pausing as she lifted another berry to consume. She hadn't expected the Butterfree to say anything, and she didn't get a chance to say reply, either. Words tumbled out of the other Pokemon's mouth in a rush.

"I-It's just that, my baby w-went missing and I haven't seen him f-for two days a-and the others are saying a lot of P-Pokemon are g-getting k-kidnapped a-and… my b-baby!"

The Butterfree sobbed loudly and hoarsely, the half-eaten Bluk berry falling from her paw. Kim swallowed, running her tongue over the sticky spots on her fur. "Pokemon are going missing? Getting kidnapped?" Dread worked its way into the pit of her belly.

"W-Well," The Butterfree said in between cries and sniffles, "l-lots of b-babies have gone m-missing recently…" She sobbed loudly here, losing whatever was to be said. Her wings beat harshly in an attempt to calm herself, but it didn't work all that well. "S-someone s-said they're k-kidnapped, not missing!" The butterfly Pokemon finally burst out, and then wailed.

Kim shook her head sympathetically at the Butterfree's sad plight, and stood almost lethargically. "Sorry. I haven't seen your kid." The Butterfree gave no indication that she'd heard, just sobbing louder.

The Pichu padded away slowly, forgetting even to take some of the delicious Bluk berries she loved so much in the wake of this awful news. She walked home in the dark with a dim crescent moon overhead, worry buzzing through her heart like an angry Beedrill. 'Tanner didn't show up today…' She thought, but couldn't finish the mental sentence. She shook her head again, this time in utter denial.

'No. He wouldn't get himself caught like that. He's just off being greedy again, taking all the riches for himself. Besides, he's hardly a baby.'

Despite her reassurances, Kim still didn't sleep well that night.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Japaneserockergirl - You're observant and good at drawing conclusions from known facts. Thanks for realizing that! (I feel bad for her, too, by the way.)**

** On another note, I love the title for this chapter. I don't really know why, but I just love it!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon and all that jazz.**

-Catnip for the Mouse-

It was too hot. Kim knew that on a day like this, Tanner would have much rather stayed in his den. She clung to the hope that that was the reason he hadn't shown up, even though the sun was well on its way across the sky. Sweat made her fur cling to her body as she trudged through the forest, making slow progress. The Pichu's blood felt sluggish and thick, even though she walked along the creek and took drinks frequently. It wasn't as if she could wade through the creek; even though the recent heat had dried it up a little, it was still a good foot-and-a-half deep, which was taller than Kim.

The yellow rodent was going to Tanner's den for once. He lived a good, long walk from Kim's home, on the very edge of the woods where the humans teemed. Needless to say, she wasn't too keen on going there.

More than once Kim stopped to think how stupid it was to walk all this way when Tanner was probably perfectly fine, curled up and lazing the day away. She almost always nearly turned back, but when she remembered the words of the Butterfree, renewed worry kept her paws moving toward Tanner's den.

"Ugh…" For the umpteenth time, Kim paused, paw resting on her belly. Her stomach snarled viciously, protesting against the hot, sweaty walk. She stooped down to glug more water from the creek, which had widened a bit. Didn't that mean that the lake was coming up? Didn't Tanner live near the lakeside? Swallowing, the Pichu's ears perked up. Now that she was finally near the Meowth's home, an awful terror had worked its way into Kim's head.

Taking off at a stumbling run, she scrambled to find the Sandshrew burrow that Tanner had battled for, simply because he liked the space.

"Oh… Crud."

Scratch marks were carved into the ground, and everything was mildly scorched. An acrid scent wafted through the air. A bit of pale-cream fur was caught on some bushes. It looked like the site of a battle, but not just any battle. This battle had included a fire-type, which were not native to the forest.

Blood roared in Kim's ears. Had Tanner been… captured? By a human? Unthinkable. He was undoubtedly the strongest Meowth in the area; how could he get caught?

Pokemon did get captured. That was only natural. It happened rarely in this forest, though, because the human trainers were such bumbling idiots. They didn't understand the meaning of 'quiet' and lumbered around like Venusaur. It was a wonder if they saw _any_ Pokemon.

Yesterday's conversation with the Butterfree rang back to Kim. 'Not captured… Kidnapped?' She wondered, anger suffusing into her blood. Who would dare kidnap her friend? Who would dare kidnap anybody in this forest, her home?

Her sudden rage was enough to get her sprinting back toward her home on all fours, regardless of the heat. No… Not her home. She wanted to run to the one Pokemon who might know something about the incident. The one Pokemon who knew about everything. There was only one place where that Pokemon would be: the Rocks. Kim changed her path a little so that she was crashing through the underbrush, heading away from the banks of the creek.

It did not feel like a particularly long run, although the sun had nearly set by the time she was nearing the Rocks. When she entered the clearing, she was the immediate center of attention for every Pokemon draped over a warm stone. Kim was quite a sight; sweaty, with electricity crackling from her cheeks and murder in her eyes, though she was panting. "Where is she?" The Pichu demanded angrily, loud enough for the whole clearing to hear. "Where's Clarimonde?"

Mutters broke out among the group while one highly aristocratic, smooth voice said back, "I'm right here, darling. No need to shout."

Kim whipped her head to the left, where the voice had come from. Stretched out across the biggest, flattest rock was a Medicham. Stalking up to this Medicham, the yellow rodent growled more quietly, "Do you know who committed the kidnappings, Clarimonde? Tanner's gone."

Clarimonde's eyes widened theatrically. "Tanner? Oh, the poor little kitty!" She shook her head, overly regretful. "I'm afraid, darling, that you'll need to calm down. We don't even know what these incidents are," Then she seemed to ponder something, tapping her chin. "Well, actually, a Rattata started that kidnapping rumor, and she seemed to know what she was talking about…" The Medicham looked around for a moment. "Where did that sweet little rodent go so that this other little rodent can talk to her?"

Kim's eye twitched furiously. Now she needed to find some Rattata? Okay. She could do that if it meant finding Tanner.

"Like, Madam Clarimonde? That Rattata, like, left a minute ago," One of the Rocks' regular customers chimed in.

Clapping a three-fingered hand over her mouth, Clarimonde gasped. "Oh dear! Which way did she go?"

"I think, like, toward the Heart."

Kim was already running before the irritating group could say anymore. The Heart was as its name implied; the heart of the forest. If that's where she'd find the Rattata who knew how to find Tanner, how to stop the disappearances, so be it. Determination and fury had made the Pichu unstoppable.

The Rattata's scent was not hard to pick up. It was quite fresh, and running at the speed she was, Kim soon found the other rodent. "Hey!" She called, her voice hard. Whipping around, the Rattata's eyes widened in pure shock, which quickly morphed into something near panic.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" She shrieked, terror in every syllable. The small Pokemon backed away, preparing to run off. "GET AWAY! GET AWAY!"

To say Kim was startled by this reaction was an understatement. She was stupefied right out of her angry state of mind. "Hey. Calm down. I'm not gonna hurt you…"

The Rattata shook her head. "No," She breathed, unfathomable sadness in her voice, "but they will. They'll get you too."

"Who's they?"

Too late! Kim felt a sharp sting in her back, and an awful, terrible, tear-jerking, mind-rending pained washed over her body. Her mouth gaped, but only a low moan came out. She hit the ground, her world fading to black…

Well, not black, really. It faded to emerald green.

_Her vision was a green splotch. Everything pieced together slowly. Some of the green became rolling hills, while other parts of it became darkly-hued trees. The sky became a most peculiar shade of pale lime with almost-white clouds drifting in it. There was still a rush of water behind her. She didn't turn to look. From some somewhere deep in the world of green, a quiet, wry voice laughed._

"_Welcome to hell."_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**Hahaha, it's been awhile. .T Well, I did swear I'd finish this thing by the end of summer, so I've at least gotta try. To Japaneserockergirl: There's a reason they didn't grab everyone at the Rocks. That's at least partially explained in this chapter, but if it doesn't work well enough for you, you can always count it as a plot hole. ^3^ Thanks for reviewing~!**

**Disclaiming Pokemon. I only own the characters and the plot; not their species, nor the concept of Pokemon and Team Rocket in general.**

-Eat It-

Waking up had never been a pleasant experience for Kim. She was always too tired to really want to get up, and the sun hurt her eyes. This wake-up was particularly awful, with harsh fluorescent lights humming over her, a roaring hunger in her belly, and a pounding headache to boot. The Pichu groaned, clutching her head and then rubbing her ears.

"What did I do last night…?"

Wailing cries and screams became apparent to Kim, echoing off the metallic walls from places she couldn't see. Panic started seeding within her as the electric Pokemon realized she was in a box. It was big enough for her to walk around in, but too small for someone used to the open forest. Although all the walls had a human-made sheen, one showed Kim's reflection like the surface of clean, pure water. How misleading.

"W-Where am I?" Fear took hold of the little Pokemon, and she started tackling walls. Sure, it hurt, but it was nothing compared to the terror she felt rising. "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" Kim continued in that fashion, getting dizzy from slamming her head into the walls but never stopping. Electricity pulsed from her cheeks in time with her rapid heartbeat. It was all going well (Or as well as well could be in the situation…) until she ran into the mirror-like wall.

Her breath was stolen, and it felt like she had just hugged a poisoned Cacnea. Energy lashed out from her cheeks, whipping about the box. Giving a high-pitched squeal of pain, Kim recoiled, scrambling into a corner, chest heaving.

A low hum filled the air, and suddenly the box was a little brighter.

"Are you alright?" Asked a smooth, male voice.

Kim looked up, eyes narrowed, to find that the mirror wall was gone, and in its place was slightly foggy glass. It might have been a relief if she hadn't seen the box across from hers, which looked much the same, but housed a small Rattata instead; a sobbing Rattata who was wailing, "It's all my fault! ALL MY FAULT!" It also wasn't much comfort that the Pokemon who had asked the question was an _orange _Glaceon.

Now, Kim hadn't seen many Glaceon, but she was sure they weren't supposed to be orange, mostly because they were ice-types. Thus, with this display of freakishness, the Pichu began to get hysteric. "Oh yes, I'm perfectly fine. I'm just stuck in a box, and I've been kidnapped, and everything's just dandy!" She snarled sarcastically, tempted to tackle the odd glass/mirror wall again.

"Don't you dare," Said the Glaceon, who seemed to read her mind, "and calm down, if you can. Everything's going to be fine."

After a split second of silence between the two, the Pichu sneered. "Calm down? Everything's fine?" She shrieked. "Who are you kidding? This is where the kidnappers take babies! They'll…! They'll…!" Breathing heavily and unable to come up with something awful enough to suit the horrors of this place, Kim merely growled and glared at the unnaturally orange Pokemon.

"Unevolved Pokemon. Team Rocket, who are your kidnappers, don't take just babies. They take unevolved Pokemon," The Glaceon corrected, unaffected by the other's malice. "Regardless of what you think, everything will be fine. Stay as calm as possible, and when the food comes, eat it. After you have eaten, a human will come to pick you up. Do not attack them," He stated these things so calmly and concisely that Kim's anger was almost abated. Almost. "Do you understand?"

The yellow rodent found herself nodding, although she didn't really understand anything. Not her situation, not the events prior to it, and definitely not this unusually orange Pokemon. "Good," Said he, and then tapped something on the outside of her box. The clear window to the hall and the other cage started to disappear, lost in the slow shimmer of the mirror. The shine crawled over the surface of what Kim assumed was glass, which was gone within the moment. The last thing she saw of the world outside her box was the Glaceon's steady green eyes, staring at her as if in reassurance.

"I see too much green nowadays," Kim huffed, most of her panic oddly dissipated. She plopped to the ground, tugging her ears.

Time didn't seem to pass because nothing changed. The desperate wailing was continuous, and didn't grow any less bone-chilling. There was an occasion padding of feet, but that too seemed to be on a set schedule. Everything was incredibly monotonous and just grew boring; the fear settled in her tummy, stirred by only one thought.

_When was the food going to come?_

Honestly, Kim was really hungry, having not eaten… yesterday? Recently seemed to be the better bet when she had no idea of the time. There were more pressing reasons, however. That incredibly strange (but oddly comforting) Glaceon had made it sound like it would be over when she ate. That was good… but horrifying, because when something ended, other things began.

Maybe she'd die because the food was poisoned. Maybe… Kim shook her head, ears flattening to the very back of her skull. '_No need to be negative.'_

It was ages later that a low noise connected with her ear drums and the mirror wall steadily vanished. A human in a white lab coat was peering at her, glasses flashing in the light. Glaring, Kim scowled at the scientist, bared her teeth, and growled. A panel opened in the wall to her left, and an overly-sweet, cloying scent filled the air. The Pichu whipped around, diving toward the hole in the wall, but the slat had already snapped shut. Someone had slid in a tray. She connected with the wall, adding to her already pronounced headache. With her face so close to the source of that too-sweet smell, Kim felt just a little bit more comfortable.

Of course, the stench was disgusting and overpowering, and anyone who didn't like Bluk berries would probably hate it. However, Bluk berries were Kim's favorite treat, and they released a similar stink when a little overripe.

The tray had a pile of soggy-looking pellets on it, along with a bowl of water. The mouse Pokemon's stomach gave a mighty bellow, commanding Kim to eat. Who cared if it was nasty?

'_Stay as calm as possible, and when the food comes, eat it.'_

The Glaceon's words came back to prod her into sticking her button nose closer to the food. Almost shaking with trepidation, Kim gingerly took a bite.


End file.
